The Maid

by Sidney Halston

  She looked down at the table and played with the napkin. "I was. Really in love. Like head over heels in love with you."

  "Why didn't we say it? What the hell happened?"

  She shrugged. "Life happened. You had your trip and I had school. Words weren't going to change that."

  "No but feelings may have." When had he become so wise?

  "Well it's in the past." She opened her menu. After she mourned the loss of their relationship, for a long time, longer than was healthy, she had taken those feelings and those memories and put them deep into a locked box in her heart never to be opened again. She'd never been open to a real relationship, even after all these years. And even in her short-lived relationships, the men always said she was closed-off. And they were right, she was. She'd never given herself fully to another person and risk feeling rejected, unloved, and forgotten. All over a stupid --eighteen-year-old kid who'd made her feel so much. No one could ever measure up.

  * * *

  For a moment he stared at the back of her menu and then pulled it away from her. "Addie, I was. I was really in love with you. It wasn't a teenage crush and I wasn't just some horny guy."

  "You left." Was all she said before taking the menu back in her hand. She felt the sting behind her eyes and the lump in her throat.

  "Baby, talk to me."

  "Nothing to talk about. You left. You went on with your life and I went on with mine."

  "I had to leave. My parents would have killed me if I'd had stayed."

  "Your parents almost killed you anyway. I saw it play out on the rags. When you dropped out of Miami University, their Alma Mater, to go to Notre Dame for football, they disowned you. You could have called me. We could have tried."

  "The phone works both ways, Addie. You never called me. I wasn't going to take that risk. Plus," he took a deep breath, "my parents found out about us."

  "What?"

  "Yeah, my mom knew. And right before I hopped on the plane to Croatia, she said that if I ever entertained a relationship with you again, she'd fire you. I thought of you without a job or a home how would you get by with school? I thought I was making the right decision, especially since I didn't think you wanted anything more than a fling. You didn't stop me from leaving. You didn't say anything at all, in fact."

  "God, we were stupid. Why didn't we communicate?" She wiped her tears.

  "We're communicating now." A young woman came to the table to take their order. "What can I get you to drink?"

  "I'll have a coke, please." Addie said. She always loved soda, he remembered that about her.

  "I'll have the same. And also, bring some garlic rolls and a large pizza. Half Hawaiian half pepperoni."

  "Sure thing," the waitress said.

  "You remembered."

  "You haven't been listening, Addie. I wasn't lying. I know Hawaiian is your favorite. I know you had a stuffed frog named Prince. I know you cried when Lily your goldfish died when you were eight and that Lily was your only pet growing up. I know you. I'm sorry I didn't call, Addie. I was young and stupid. I have no other excuse."

  He wasn't sure what else he could say. For years there'd been a void. For years he thought of her. But now, in this short time, he realized that void was her. And now, after that heart startling realization there was no way he was letting here go. But the woman was skittish, and he had to proceed carefully, or he'd lose her forever.

  He added, “If I could do it over again I—”

  “You’d still leave. I know you could never possibly be seen with the maid."

  "Addie—"

  "It's okay, Gun. Really. Life is crazy that way. If you hadn't left, maybe you wouldn't be this successful guy now. Maybe you'd be under your father's thumb. Who knows? It's not good to live in 'what ifs'." She avoided his eyes, instead playing with a stray thread on her napkin. "What's done is done. Let’s just stop talking about it, okay?”

  In an attempt to change the subject to something neutral he decided to finally let her have that business talk. "So, tell me about your master plan. What exactly are you going to do to save me all this money and get me sponsorships?"

  She swallowed the bite and wiped the corners of her mouth with the napkin.

  "Oh, uh... okay, so I was thinking that maybe you’re right about the cap on your accounts. It's not a viable long-term solution. Until you get a better handle on things—"

  "By that you mean, until you think I can handle it."

  "Something like that." She smiled—finally! —and then continued. "Anyway, we're starting up some classes, I want you to come in this week to talk with a broker I know about safe investments for some of your money. You have all your money in one account, which makes no sense. Also, you should think about buying a home. You're really just throwing away your money with rent. And then of course, the big one. Change your ways a little so that the paparazzi stops following you. Stops seeing you as the irresponsible, unreliable party guy. Once we can refocus your image as the great football player that you are, a man kids can look up to, that other athletes want to emulate, then we can work on those sponsorships. I've been talking to Jeff about that and he has some ideas too but right now you're too volatile to get them to use you."

  "So, you want me to do normal things, like going to the movies instead of a night club."

  "Yes, absolutely. Seeing you with friends and a glass of wine at a charity event instead of with a bunch of people at the beach with a beer."

  "So subtle changes."

  "Yes, exactly."

  "I bet a steady girlfriend would blow their brains."

  She chuckled. "Probably. That would definitely be a one-eighty." He took that information and processed it.

  The rest of the evening went smoothly, if uneventful. They ate, they laughed and did some reminiscing. All the heaviness of the early conversation was gone, and it was as if he was having dinner with -twenty-five-year-old Addie.

  Once she paid, mostly because she insisted and scowled and demanded, he took her back to her car, kissed her cheek and they parted ways.

  * * *

  It was midday the next day when he decided that Mission: Win Addie Back needed to move faster. So, he sent her a text.

  GUN: Great networking event tonight. Bowling for Boobs.

  ADDIE: WTH?

  GUN: LOL. A charity event for breast cancer. Come with me?

  He placed the phone on the tiny ledge on the monitor of the treadmill awaiting a response. Nothing came in for far too long. He increased the speed and went from a light jog to full out run.

  Finally, as he was about to begin cooling down, his phone lit up. Addie: Okay. What time and where?

  GUN: Pick you up at 7 pm. Send me your address.

  ADDIE: Meet you there.

  GUN: Text me your address.

  ADDIE: This isn't a date.

  GUN: Your address, woman?!

  When she didn't respond right away, he added: GUN: Promise, not a date. Just friends.

  Thirty seconds later his phone lit with an incoming text with her address.

  Addie wore white, loose-fitting cotton shorts, a black and white blouse, and black Chucks. Her hair was in a cute ponytail and she had virtually no make-up on. She looked gorgeous and Gun didn't know how he'd keep his hands away from her all night.

  "Who should I expect to see tonight?" Addie asked as they approached the bowling alley.

  Gun went through a list of the players he knew would be there as well as some local celebrities. He opened her door and helped her out. "Word of advice, though. Don't act so stiff and salesman-ish. Get to know everyone. If it comes up, you tell them what you do, maybe schedule a meeting, but don't bore them because they'll never want to meet you with you after."

  "Don't be boring. Got it," she said to herself. He chuckled as they walked in. "Wow. This doesn't look like any bowling alley I've ever been to."

  "This is Miami Beach, baby. Nothing in this town is like anything you've ever seen before."

  "Looks more l
ike a bar." She took in all the lights and modern looking lanes.

  "Yeah, it does. But don't think that just because it doesn’t look like a regular bowling alley people don't get competitive."

  "Ha! I love a little competition."

  "I remember." He laughed as he walked to the mob waiting for him. "There shouldn't be any paparazzi here today. They rented out the entire place so it's just a few chosen papers and photographers and the rest is just the donors and organizers. I like this event. Do it every year and lose every year.” He said with a smile. “But it’s one of the few charities where most of it actually goes to charity."

  "Gunther, my man!" Jackson, a team member spotted him first, and after that it was mayhem. He quickly introduced Addie to everyone, and they were swiftly escorted to their lanes for the games.

  It took Addie a beer and about ten minutes to get comfortable with the rest of the team and their opponents. Ten minutes after that, she began to show her true competitive nature.

  "Prepare to get your ass kicked by a girl, Greg." She said to a local news anchor who was on the opposing team, as she sauntered up the lane and launched her ball. Gun couldn't help but smile as he watched her from behind. She bent and twisted her body while she waited for the ball to travel down the lane as if her movements would move the ball left or right.

  She jumped up and down. "Strike!"

  "Damn it!" Greg huffed across from Gun. "She's good."

  "She's really good," Gun agreed.

  "You bragging about me?" Addie said as she walked by and sat down next to him.

  "Why'd you think I made sure you played on my team?"

  "So, you two? You've known each other for a long time?" Jasmine, a well-known local restaurateur, who Gun had been trying to date for years, asked.

  "Sort of. I met her years ago and then we lost touch," he said, and looked to his right and caught sight of Addie laughing at something some of the other member of the team were saying. It was as if she'd known these people for years.

  "Well, next time I think I want her on my team," Greg said with a smirk that Gun did not at all appreciate. Jealousy was not an emotion he ever felt, yet in the last week and a half he'd felt an all-consuming jealousy whenever there were men within two feet of Addie.

  Addie stood and asked, "Anyone want a beer?" Those that heard her shook their heads 'no' and went back to talking.

  "I'll go with you," Gun said.

  "I got it. Stay here with your friends," she said as she tried to squeeze through the small crowd and all the chairs. Ignoring her, he stood and followed her to the bar, but he took her hand and led her to the back of the bowling alley and to the bathroom.

  "Hey! Wha—what are you doing?"

  "I need you."

  "Gunther. There's a room full of people right over there."

  "That's why I came to this bathroom all the way over here."

  "Still. No. Not only because the people that are just outside the door but because we are not going to start having sex."

  "We already had sex."

  "I know. I told you, it was a moment of temporary insanity. You made me so angry I lost my mind. It's not going to happen again. I thought I was clear that I didn't want to be anything but friends with you."

  "Your words are clear, but your little touches and smiles say something else."

  * * *

  He took a step closer to her. "I don't want to be pushy, even if I'm not above begging. If you want me to stop, I'll stop. But I'd like to remind you how well I know your body and how good it can be between us. It doesn't have to lead into a relationship, if that's what you're afraid of. It can just be two people giving into pleasure."

  He was so close now that she couldn't think clearly. His scent, the way his breath tickled her neck, the sexual energy that buzzed between them—nothing had changed in ten years. She wanted him, that wasn't in question. But wanting him and actually giving into the need, jeopardizing her career…was it worth it? "It would be irresponsible. It's crazy, Gun." She heard the breathy way she said it.

  "Not crazier than when you blew me in the living room, while my parents' were playing canasta in the next room."

  "That was hot," she admitted, and he said the words and her thoughts went back to that day. Even now, it made her wet to think about it. Maybe she was one of those people who enjoyed the danger of being caught. The danger. There was a definite pattern and something she'd never experienced with any lover. Also, she trusted Gun. In her gut, she knew he wouldn't let them get caught or have her feel embarrassed and he'd do anything to make sure of that.

  "Exactly." He unzipped her shorts and pushed them down to her knees together with her panties.

  She turned around and he pushed her torso down. "Hands on the door."

  There was fumbling behind and then he was inside of her. She tried not to scream but she was sure moans and groans escaped her lips at some point. "I always give in."

  "Because you know we're good together. Now, shhh…You don't want anyone to hear us, right? Play with your clit," he said as he pushed into her over and over. "This is gonna be quick, but I need you to come first."

  And she did. It was fast, mostly because it seemed as if the sneaking around was still a major turn on.

  * * *

  "Can we have a picture of you two?" The hired photographer asked as soon as they got back to the game.

  "Uh…" Addie began. She was frazzled by their impromptu bathroom fuck and the fact that she didn't want to be seen with Gun in the capacity of date.

  Gun pulled Addie by the waist to his side. Why wasn't he as frazzled? "Sure." The photographer took a few photos and jotted some notes, and then they were leaning against the bar.

  "Are you sure my hair is okay? I look like I just had sex, Gunther!" she whispered into his ear.

  He laughed. "You look fine, babe. I swear."

  She stroked her ponytail, making sure it was intact. "I'm still not used to all of this. I knew you were famous but damn."

  "It takes some time to get used to, then you sort of forget they're in the background."

  "Don't know how you can forget something like that. It's like you’re living your life in a fishbowl."

  "It is sometimes. But it comes with the territory, you know?"

  "Yeah, I know."

  "And anyway, you want to rub elbows with all these people, you better get used to it because it'll probably become part of your life too."

  "You think?" She made a sour face, then she straightened up and fussed with her hair. "I wish I'd have dressed a little nicer or at least worn make-up or something."

  "Nah." He took the beer the bartender handed to him and slid one to her. "You look perfect." He said, holding the bottle to his lips, and his eyes pinned on her. She looked into his eyes for a few intense seconds before looking down at her bottle.

  She cleared her throat. "Thanks for inviting me tonight. I got a couple of meetings set up, already. It was exactly what I needed to get my name out there."

  "That’s good. And thank you for the bathroom sex. It was exactly what I needed."

  She snorted. "You're crazy, you know that? Oh crap, look, I think we're coming up. We missed the last round." She said pointing to the lane. He looked over his shoulder and then nodded and extended an arm to give her space to move.

  "After you." The rest of the evening was spent laughing and talking to everyone, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her and he caught her looking at him a few times. Some were just quick glances where their eyes locked, other times she sought him out when he was on the other side of the room talking to someone, and when he made a strike, she cheered the loudest and when he struck out, she teased him even louder. All in all, it was a great night. He gave her the space she wanted but still kept her close. If she wanted that illusion of being separate, he’d give it to her. She may not have wanted to admit it, but it was obvious she was into him too.

  It was the last round and they were lagging behind by just a few points; Addie wa
s their last hope. The team cheered for her and she had on her focused face. Everyone stood and inched forward. She looked nervous as she stood by the line, stretched her arm back and flung the ball forward. Not once in the entire night had she missed completely until now.

  "Damn it! Gutter!" Someone on their team yelled. She turned, looking crest fallen and went to the carousel to grab another ball. Again, she walked to the line and held the ball a few seconds then looked over her shoulder quickly. When her eyes locked on his he winked at her, and her lips tilted upwards. She turned back, breathed in deeply and let the ball go. The entire bowling alley stopped. All noise ceased, except the sound of the ball rolling down against the wooden alley. Gun found himself moving closer to her and closer and then he heard the sound of the ball crashing into the pin. "Spare!" She yelled and jumped up.

  "Hell yeah!" He yelled back and caught her in his arms as the rest of the team roared. He spun her around. "You did it! We won!"

  They'd won and raised a ton of money for the charity, and he had Addie in his arms, it was a great fucking evening. Even without the sex, it had been perfect. It wasn't only the sex with Addie that was spectacular, just being with her, made his day.

  "We won!" Addie said, her arms around his neck. Then, the flashing lights of nearby cameras began, and she froze and released him. "That was fun." She said as she took a step away and smiled. The moment might have seemed broken, but he knew better. There was a connection between them that couldn't be denied. She was enveloped by a crowd and the next half hour was a whirlwind of hand shaking, high fives, and picture taking.

  * * *

  Addie's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. It had been a fun and carefree night, something she hadn't remembered feeling in such a long time. Her focus for so long had been solely on success, she hadn't taken a moment to just relax.

  "Thanks for bringing me," she said as she put on her seatbelt.

  "You already thanked me." He reached over the center console, took her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. "I should be thanking you. This is always one of my favorite nights of the year, but we never win, and we never have that much fun. And I've never fucked during it. So many firsts."